Marvel vs. Capcom 2

"A fast paced adrenaline rush that's worth a try"

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is the final game in a series of excellent crossovers made by Capcom and Marvel, featuring characters from titles from both companies. The crossover series has had its ups and downs, and it is these final tweaks for what is an excellent game, if not without a few flaws.

Graphics: As a 2D fighter, it simply isn't as glamorous as many other fighters that feature 3d graphics. For some, that may be a problem, but I personally enjoy the "older" feel of the 2d generation of games. Lighting effects and animations are overall excellent, BUT, as Capcom is wont to do, many sprites of characters have bee rehashed over and over again with little, if any, modifications. It's been at least five years since Darkstalkers has come out, and the sprites still haven't changed. Other than that, the characters are smoothly put together in typical Capcom fashion. 7/10

Sound: The sound effects are generally good, but what kills this game is the music. Out went the characters themes from Marve vs Capcom 1, being replaced by some hideous noise and an equally annoying announcer. Thankfully, you won't notice it much... after a while. 4/10

Gameplay: This is where the game shines. Feature a cast of well over fifty characters, this game easily sports the biggest roster of any fighter to date. What's more, unlike the previous crossovers, you select a three person team. This allows for ridiculous amount of unique team combinations. And your teammates don't just sit around waiting for a tag; they can be called in for an assist to help you during a match, certainly a nice trick.

However, there's some drawbacks. The combo system has been overhauled, since with so many characters, there had to be some standardization. Consequently, all the characters in the game can be divided into groups featuring different combo strings, anywhere from 2-6 hits. While this makes the combo system extremely forgiving to newcomers, it sort of lacks the personality of the earlier games. And concerning the reused sprites, several characters have the unfortunate problems of having reused movelists... which often times are lacking in the much faster environment of MvC2.

Another drawback is the balance issues. Sure, the game supports over fifty characters, but in a competitive match, you'll see seven-eight different characters at most. However, the game is still a blast to play casually with friends with its extremely fast and fluid gameplay. 9/10

Story: While the previous crossover games featured at least some semblance of a storyline, they still managed to maintain unique endings at the game. Of course, that's pretty hard with such a large roster, but the lack of individuals endings is a bit of a downer. As to a story, it's some bizarre Capcom creation involving Abyss having the Armor of something or other, and Ruby Heart is trying to get it. Essentially, there isn't a story.

Compared to the previous X-Men vs Street Fighter games, it is graphically more intensive, a lot more fast paced, but easily picked up by previous fans of the genre.

Overall, this ranks up there as one of the best arcade fighting games of all time. It may not be balanced, but it sure is fun!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/07